Deciding to start a business is an unusual decision. It’s often considered irrational and yet for many it’s the best decision they’ve ever made. So we asked folks to think back to when they were starting their businesses and to tell us about their decision making process.

Mislav Mironovic | Creative Director

From an early age, somehow I’ve been lucky enough to know exactly what I love and I am passionate about. I followed that and ended up from riding my bike like every other kid to becoming a professional MTB freeride athlete. I didn’t even know, but that was my business even though it seemed like a hobby to me. After 15+ years of being your own boss and employee, I just continued that, but changed the toys. Back in a day, it was being creative on my bike, now it’s being creative with cameras, products, and projects. Read more>>

Jordan Abecasis | Biomedical Engineer | Inventor | Founder

My journey into the world of biomedical engineering began with a personal mission. As someone who has always been passionate about health and wellness, I pursued my Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Florida Atlantic University. Over the past six years, I have dedicated myself to finding strategies to not only increase our lifespan but, more importantly, our health span. I strongly believe that maintaining physical strength as we age is crucial for living a healthier and more independent life. Read more>>

Jenn Canniff | Women’s Health and Fitness Coach

I have always been passionate about fitness and wellness, but as a woman, I noticed that many fitness programs did not address the unique needs and concerns of female clients. I saw a lot of missing pieces in typical fitness programs, especially when it came to helping women feel more confident in their bodies and achieve their fitness goals in a sustainable way. Read more>>

Alexis Grant | Travel Content Creator

I studied abroad in Florence, Italy last fall and wanted a platform to post my travel photos. I began posting a little last summer but much more consistently while I was in Europe. I had so much content because I traveled to a new country almost every weekend! It started as a photo diary for myself to keep track of and remember my travels, but my page began getting more traction the more I posted. I started gaining more followers and people began asking me for travel recommendations. Read more>> 

Ethan Thornton | Photographer, Videographer & Designer

I’ve always been on a “independent” mindset. Throughout any job or project I had I was always trying to learn and be the best I can at it. Small or big job I stayed the same. I like to be a leader, someone that takes control and is okay with the uncomfortable. I’m always saying yes and taking risks. In college right before I dropped out I saw this quote “I will create a life I don’t need a vacation from.” Since that day it’s made an impact in my life. I continue to chase freedom, wether that is finically or mentally.  Read more>>

Rebecca Juliao | MSN APRN AGACNP-BC & Owner of Injectologie

I have been interested in skin care since I was very little. My mom took us to a dermatologist that made it a point to start Botox in my 20s. I started at 22 and started seeing that I was not aging as quickly as my friends. Because I was always interested in nursing and then later became a nurse practitioner, I wanted to incorporate my love of medicine and my love for aesthetics… Cue Injectologie! I have been honing in on incorporating regenerative medicine into facial aesthetics, and found that anything that stimulates collagen is key to preventing aging… As well as sunblock lol. Read more>>

Sasha Dymant | Dancer and Entrepreneur | Founder and CEO of DSP Agency

My thought process behind starting my own business was simple; let me create something that I wish existed. As a dancer, artist, and professional I needed to book a photoshoot for new headshots. I reached out to countless photographers on Instagram inquiring about their prices and specialties. It was time-consuming and overwhelming and I had wished there was a company that could do the planning for me. Read more>>

Maggie Grindatti | Owner of CHAMPIONFIT and Brazilian JIujitsu world champion

For me, I felt I was ahead because I had a foundation. I have had my business here for the last 6 years,. It was just out of a space in a Jiujitsu school, rather than my own space. But what is cool was just that, running a strength and conditioning program in a jiujitsu school was also a dream of mine that I was really happy to accomplish. So, when it came to starting my own business and getting my own space, I had confidence in the product,

Nycole Smith | Makeup Artist – GlamStudio Owner

My thought process behind creating an Upscale GlamStudio, was to express myself in a creative way, while providing an outlet for people who are looking to shop at a quality store that provides quality products. Since I was a child, I’ve always dreamed of having my own business and being a boss of my own. When Upscale GlamStudio came to mind, the keyword was UPSCALE. Upscale for me means to have a high end experience when shopping with a company online and in store. Read more>>

Audrey Keliehor | Founder/Instructor of Audswimmers Water Safety and Swim School

Audswimmers: Water Safety and Swim School was created because I saw a need for increased access and availability for swim lessons in South Florida. Through my experiences, I realized that many children and adults could not receive proper water safety education and swim training due to a lack of encapsulating swim programs. With my passion for swimming and teaching, I wanted to create a business that not only provides high-quality swim lessons and prioritizes water safety education for all ages but focuses on JOY and CONFIDENCE at the center of the lessons. Read more>>

Pia Sierra | Business Owner and Interior Designer

When thinking about becoming a business owner, there were many things I had to consider. Who was my target audience? What type of design am I want to offer? Why me? Throughout my career, I have worked doing residential design for other firms, and I learned all the behind the scene and process that takes for a designer to create the dreamed space for a client. I learned all the technical parts that grad school does not teach you. From meetings with clients, to selling a design, all the way to the purchasing process. Read more>>

Diana Garcia | Licensed Therapist

In the mental health field, going into Private Practice seems to be the “dream” but something you must work up to (or at least it was when I was in graduate school). Throughout my career in different work settings, I always had this thought in the back of my mind. I even dabbled with having a part-time practice while working full-time at other jobs, but that felt safe. In 2020, my full-time job was impacted by the pandemic, and it felt like the natural progression to give myself permission to go all in on my business. Even though it felt like the next step, I will say it was still scary to take that leap of faith in myself and my business. Read more>>

David Strauzz | Urban Contemporary / Street Artist

The idea to start Galerie Mega was to fill a gap in the Czech Republic. I wanted to represent the Graffiti and Street Art scene here which is full of talent. These artists have not received a fair opportunity to exhibit their artworks in private galleries in my opinion more than likely because they have not built a network within the academic art community. I had the idea for a while, and my first space, a glass display in the subway underground, was offered to me for free soon after. The name came to me rather quickly. ‘ MEGA’ is large, very positive and is an abbreviation of “MEtro GAllery”. Read more>>

Anthony Joshua | Life Coach & Therapist

When I got into the field of Social Work I knew that at some point I would want to start my own practice, I just didn’t know when or how I would go about it. After gaining experience in different sectors of the field of mental health, I contracted with an online Life Coaching agency which was the catalyst to me starting my business. I knew I wanted to positively impact clients without being limited to a specific state, I also knew I no longer wanted to split profit. Being my own boss seemed like the only option to be able to take full control of my life, so that’s what I did. Read more>>

Ignacio Orellana | Photographer Videographer

I have been doing this type of photography work for a number of years now and all of these years never realized that i was doing it only for a certain group of people, Real Estate Agents. So one day i was eating at a local restaurant where they offer one of their floor for parties and things like that… and i thought, maybe people would like to see the space before booking it… and since then i started to do it for them too. Read more>>

Alba Chang | Nurse and Founder of Chang’s Touch

I’ve told this story many times (laughs) but it was because I could not find a one-stop shop for vegan sex products; so because I couldn’t find one, I decided to open one because vegan sex products were out there. So I thought to myself, if I was looking for one, so must other people. Read more>>

Eline Baas | Artist and Interior Designer

The thought process behind starting my own business stemmed from a combination of personal passion and professional experience. Growing up in an art-loving family, I developed a strong affinity for art and design from an early age. As I pursued my education and gained international experience working closely with ateliers and factories around the world, I realized that I wanted to channel my creativity and expertise into something that truly reflected my vision and values. Read more>>

Carol Rios | VP of New Life Training Center

The idea of New Life Training Center came to me when I was working in a similar job setting back in 2014. I lived in a different city at the time and would come to visit my family in Miami and noticed that the outer cities of Miami did not have a wide range of Training Centers available for medical professionals. I did some research and found that only a handful of centers existed in the Miami area at the time. Read more>>

Paola Trujillo | Founder

The reason why I have opened the Alexander Trujillo Foundation was initially inspired in memory of my brother. He passed away from leukemia in 2019 after a year of treatments at the age of 21. When he was first diagnosed, it came as a shock due to his age and overall health prior. As he started with his therapy, our mother, had decided to take time off work to dedicate time for his care. This added some pressure in the household limiting the support to come from a limited source of income, while providing more than just the usual expenses. Read more>>

Yinet Sosa | CEO

Pretty Please Beauty Bar was just a thought that came to life! At first everyone asked me how did I make it happen and I spent some time trying to figure out the answer to their question. When in reality the real question was “ Do you want to stay in the same position your whole life?” There’s times you will think about giving up, there’s times people will doubt you, there’s times you will ask yourself “is it really worth it?” But I said yes to believing in myself and the vision I created for Pretty Please Beauty Bar. Follow what you believe in and don’t let any obstacles stop you. Read more>>

Derrick Moore | Co Owner

Well initially starting the business was simply us wanting to own something that we could control and grow. But it turned into trying to provide quality service to local people and businesses and providing a level of detail we really didn’t see in the industry. Read more>>